YMCA helps local children train for races

YMCA of Greater Tulsa is coordinating a fall 5K and fun run training program for kids ages 5 to 12. This six-week program is designed to prepare local children for the 5K race set for Nov. 17. The training programs begin in October and continue through the week of Nov. 5. Each week, children will participate in two hour-long training sessions. One weekly session is held at the YMCA, and the second session will take place in a community location. The cost is $25/person and includes a training T-shirt from the YMCA.”By offering this training program, we will prepare the participants for this particular race, and hopefully a lifetime of running and physical activity,” said Kyle Wilkes, executive director of the Thornton Family YMCA.Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is working with the YMCA to sponsor 300 children who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to pay for and participate in this extracurricular activity. Blue Cross is also the presenting sponsor of the Williams Route 66 Marathon and title sponsor of the marathon’s Corporate Challenge.

To sign up, visit any of the seven participating campuses: Thornton Family YMCA, R.C. Dickenson YMCA, Downtown YMCA, W.L. Hutcherson Family YMCA, Owasso Family YMCA, Daily Family YMCA and the South Neighborhood YMCA. Children do not have to be members of a YMCA to participate. If a scholarship is needed, participants should inquire about this upon initial communication with the YMCA.